George Scott-Moncrieff spent much of his childhood in England, but returned to Scotland in the 1930s. His writing covered a wide range of subjects, including architecture, Scottish topography, fiction, drama and religious works, and the last two of these are well represented in his papers.

MSS.7443-7445 are written in German, having been delivered on George Combe's tour in Germany in 1842.

The phrenological reports (MSS.7452-7455) comprise the phrenological measurements of many persons, both well-known and obscure, with reports and descriptions of their mental capabilities and weaknesses.

The papers of Cecilia Combe contain a selection of literary efforts, diaries of tours, and the usual memoranda and inventories kept by nineteenth-century housewives.

The Sinclair's route from Edinburgh was by Stirling, Dunira, Weem, Aviemore, Beauly, and Golspie to Wick and Thurso, and they returned by Elgin, Peterhead, Aberdeen, and Kinross. The writer, aged 15, chiefly describes things of personal interest, such as food and social activities. He refers to Sir John's interests in road-building and herring-fisheries.

The typescripts are as follows:

(i) Diary beginning 9 January;

(ii) Diary Vol III from Quette to Bombay;

(iii) Frontier policy.

The typescripts are as follows:

(i) Carbon copy of ‘Tales of a traveller’, with annotations apparently in the hand of Ian Malcolm.

(ii) Top copy of ‘An election in New York’. A revised version appears in ‘Trodden ways 1895-1930’ by Malcolm (1930), pages 209-215.

(iii) Top copy of ‘Washington’.

(iv) Top copy of ‘Niagara in winter’.

Whilst at St Helena, Alexander Walker busied himself in promoting the agricultural potential of the island and in tackling the question of slavery.

The notebook contains an account of a woman's voyage from Leith to Copenhagen with her husband and three small children, and an inventory of the contents of the 'top flat', no. 1 Pitt Street, Portobello. With a transcription of the travel account by Dr Alan Marchbank.

The contents are dated 1876 (folio iv) but this seems to be a mistake as Mrs Haldane was at home in August that year (cf. MS.20096). Possibly the correct date should be 1870.

About half of the volume is blank.

Tour of the highlands including a visit to Mull and Staffa. Contains pen sketches including a Roman bridge near Glasgow, a druidical circle near Kenmore, rock strata at Oban, and a map showing the location of a lake at Aviemore where nuphar minima water lillies can be found.

With a portion of journal, 6 September 1821 (folio 5-9).

The notebook also contains a journal, with financial accounts, of the beginning of Andrew Stuart's journey to Italy.

The volume contains: lists of household goods, 1864-1868 (folio 1); a few diary entries, 1871 (folio 16); an account of a visit to Braemar, 1873 (folios 24, 58); an account of a tour in Switzerland, 1873 (folio 30); and various literary, religious, and social observations, 1864-1875.

Some leaves were loose in the volume, and have been tipped in (folios 58-75); of these, folio 75 is an apparently unrelated recipe dated 1935.

The first part (folios 1-17) consists of a case-book giving details of the symptoms, treatment, and daily progress of five patients admitted to the Infirmary. Particulars of another case had been removed before acquisition by this Library. The rest of the volume (folios 19-46) contains a journal kept by David Maule on a voyage from Greenock to British Guiana on the 'Brilliant', 22 February-16 April 1801.

The collection consists chiefly of correspondence and papers relating to politics, especially colonial matters, and to estate and family affairs. Both Edward Ellice and his son were influential Liberal Members of Parliament who owned substantial estates in Scotland, Canada, America and the West Indies.

The 2nd Earl of Minto refers (folios 3-4) to extensive current emigration from the Atholl district to Prince Edward Island, and to its deliberate stimulation by emigration agents. The journal is incomplete, pages 37-60 only.